1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of personal care products. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for providing a kit of absorbent articles to a consumer.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Feminine hygiene products are often referred to as “absorbent articles” and are designed to absorb menses and other vaginal discharges. Absorbent articles are provided in various types such as sanitary napkins or pads, panty liners or shields, tampons and inter-labial devices, having different absorbency characteristics. Sanitary napkins, for example, are typically used to absorb heavy menstrual flows; panty liners or panty shields typically are used for lighter menstrual flows. Additionally, there are tampons which are inserted into the vagina and are provided in different absorbencies.
Women typically use only one product type, even though a single product type is usually insufficient to provide a woman with optimal absorbency protection throughout her menstrual period. In actuality, combinations of different product types (e.g. products of different thickness and/or length, tampons, wipes) can provide the woman with superior protection and comfort. A woman may actually require different product types in different settings or at different stages of her menstrual cycle. For example, at the beginning and end of her menses, a light-flow product such as a panty liner may be sufficient to absorb the menstrual flow, but during a heavy-flow period, the same woman may require a product such as a sanitary napkin or a tampon. However, current methods of distributing absorbent products fail to recognize that a woman may require several product types over the course of her menstrual period.
Even if a woman is aware that combining product types can improve her absorbency protection, absorbent articles having different uses or different levels of absorbent capacity are typically sold in separate packages, which is both inconvenient and costly for the consumer. Historically, young women have purchased their menstrual cycle products from a variety of providers in a variety of inconvenient, bulky packages.
Multi-packs of some feminine hygiene articles such as tampons do exist, but they consist of large packages of each type of product; for example, a multi-pack of various sizes of pads and tampons or of various types of tampons only. Thus, because a woman must still open the packs in order to remove just the items she needs, she is still subjected to the inconvenience and expense of purchasing and storing multiple packages of product. Furthermore, these packages can be fairly bulky and obvious and do not provide the user with attractive, youth and consumer-oriented packaging. Additionally, many young women find conventional distribution channels for absorbent articles unsatisfactory, requiring them to purchase multiple large packages of product in busy retail outlets such as grocery stores or large drugstores thereby sacrificing a considerable amount of privacy and discretion in order to purchase the products.
Restroom dispensers for feminine hygiene products are known, but they typically only dispense pads and/or tampons, offering little to the woman or girl who needs another type of product such as a panty liner. Additionally, restroom dispensers are typically stocked with dated, early-generation products, preventing the consumer from acquiring the most current products. Moreover, products vended from dispensers are often product overruns that have been sold to institutional distributors. Thus, the limited selection of product from restroom dispensers serves as an additional hindrance to accessing comprehensive, timely menstrual care.
Women of different ethnicities tend to have differing menstrual care needs and typically have product preferences that appear to be at least partly related to their ethnicity. Girls of non-white ethnicity are found to use feminine hygiene products in greater amounts than their white counterparts, for example. Asian-American and Hispanic-American girls significantly outrank whites as users and heavy users of sanitary pads and napkins, yet conventional methods of distributing absorbent products fail to take culturally and/or ethnically determined needs and preferences into account.
US Census Bureau estimates indicate that there are approximately 25 million girls between the ages of eight and nineteen, the largest generation ever for this particular demographic group. Young women, in particular, are dissatisfied with present feminine care products and view these brands and products as old-fashioned and not meeting their needs. They may feel insecure in buying feminine hygiene products, unsure of which product or products they should buy and use, at least partly because of the way they are currently packaged and configured.
A conventional assumption is that young women and girls learn about body development and reproductive functions such as ovulation and menstruation as a natural consequence of close, communicative mother-daughter relationships. Although this is sometimes true, it is not as common as generally thought. Moreover, as modern life continues to become busier and more complex, such interaction between generations becomes even less common. Thus, teens and girls, especially those who are approaching menarche, in addition to a greater range of product choices, also have a great need for education and counseling that informs and advises them on such topics as reproductive health and proper menstrual care.
A number of U.S. patents—U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,302, Method for dispensing absorbent articles; U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,027, Method for the selection of a feminine hygiene product system; U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,113 Method for the selection of a feminine hygiene product system; U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,705 B2, Method for the selection and use of a system of feminine hygiene products; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0091969 Method for the selection and use of a system of feminine hygiene products—describe systems and methods for selecting and dispensing feminine hygiene products. While some of the above systems and methods provide point-of-sale and/or online selection systems that accept information from the consumer and issue a recommendation for a particular assortment of products, even kits of products, none of them contemplate anything other than conventional distribution methods and channels. None address the need of girls and young women for information and counseling concerning puberty, reproductive health and menstrual care and none contemplate culturally or ethically determined profiles of needs and preferences.